A Bond Beyond Brothers
by elvenprincess15
Summary: Semi-Modern AU, taking place before the Revolutionary War. Myrddin and Artur(the Irish names for Merlin and Arthur) were born and raised in Northern Ireland. They go out on a trip, and get captured by slavers. They are taken to Great Britain, then to the colonies. Will they ever escape? And can their strong bond remain that way? T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Did you pack enough food?"

"Yes Mum. I packed enough food for three days." Artur answered his anxious mother. He and his little brother were going on an overnight camping trip. They had been planning it for weeks, and their mother had finally given them permission to go.

"Did you remember Myrddin's jacket? You know how easily he gets sick."

"Yes Mum. I packed it myself."

"Did you…"

"Mum, we have everything we need. We'll be fine." Artur interrupted. The brothers had planned on leaving at first light, but Ygraine had insisted that they have every little thing.

"I know, it's just…"

"You're worried about Myrddin." It was a statement, not a question. Ygraine nodded. "He's never been away from home before."

"I promise you, I will keep him safe, and I will bring him home." Ygraine nodded again, and pulled her fifteen-year-old son into an embrace. She hated it when Balinor took him on trips, and now her thirteen-year-old baby was going alone with his brother.

Just then, Balinor and Myrddin walked in. They'd been saddling the two horses for the trip. "Are we ready to go Myr?"

"Yeah! Da showed me how to prepare the horses!" His eyes were bright with excitement. Balinor ruffled his hair affectionately. "Now mind your big brother."

"Don't worry Da. If he doesn't, I'll put him in a headlock." Artur chuckled when a slightly terrified look flashed in Myrddin's eyes.

The family went out to the horses. They had four horses total, and all of them were Gypsy Vanner stallions. One was pure white, named Alexander; another was a black and white pinto, named Gypsy(**so original, I know**); the third was a chestnut, named Calypso; and the final one was a chestnut and white pinto, named Nicholas. Myrddin was going to ride Calypso, and Artur had Gypsy. Ygraine gave the boys one last hug, then they mounted up. "Now remember, there have been reports of slavers in the area. Be extra careful where you go and where you sleep." Balinor warned.

"Yes Da." Artur responded. The boys waved one last time, then they trotted their horses down the lane. When their family's potato farm was behind them, they pushed their horses into a canter. The beautiful Irish countryside flew by as they sped up.

Around noon, they rested in a field of wildflowers. The woods they would be spending the night in were less than a mile away. They filled their water skins in a nearby stream, then watered their horses. After eating some bread and an apple, they mounted up and continued on.

When they reached the woods, they started hunting around. By sunset they had caught four rabbits. Being the better cook, Myrddin made rabbit stew. While Artur went to collect more firewood, Myrddin went to look for one more herb for the stew. When they returned, everything appeared the same as when they'd left. Myrddin finished the stew the stew, and he served it with some bread.

As he was eating, Artur reflected on his brother. Artur had expected him to be more anxious about being away from home. Instead, he'd been full of energy and excitement; Artur himself was excited. If this trip went well, maybe their mum would let them go off more often.

After they'd finished, they went to a stream close by to clean their plates. For some weird reason, they started to feel really sleepy. They put down their bedroll, and slept back to back. Little did they know that someone was lurking in the forest.

**A.N. Look! A new story! I started this last year, and am finally posting it here. I will update it as soon as I can:) Love y'all!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_ Italics mean that they are speaking in Gaelic(Irish)_

****When Artur woke up, he noticed three things. One was that he was feeling groggy. The second was that he couldn't move his arms. The third thing he noticed was that there was something in his mouth, and it wasn't a pleasant something. Artur jerked his head up when he heard a voice say, "Looks like Goldie is finally awake."

"Yeah", another voice said. "Raven's been awake for the past hour." At the mention of his brother, Artur whipped his head around. Myrddin was still next to him, and was similarly tied up. Myrddin's eyes and body language showed that he was terrified, and he had a good reason to be. They'd been captured by slavers.

"Now that they're awake, we can finally leave", the first man said. The only way to distinguish one man from another was their voices. Both men wore dark tunics and breeches, and they had hoods on. The first man grabbed Artur by the rope on his wrists, led him over to Gypsy, and tied him to the saddle horn. The second man took Myrddin to Calypso and did the same thing.

The slavers took everything, mounted the horses, and started trotting. The horse' pace forced the brothers to jog and occasionally run. Because of the pace, terrain, and his own clumsiness, Myrddin tripped more than once. After about the fifth fall, the men actually took notice, and slowed the horses down to a walk.

Throughout the day, the men stopped and gave them water, as well as food. At dusk, the men stopped to make camp. The brothers were untied from their horses, the retied to a ring the second man had brought, which was then inserted into the ground via a stake. The brothers were ungagged, and given more water and some bread. This also gave them some time to talk. _"Artur, I'm scared. I want to go home."_

****Artur opened his arms as wide as they would go, and beckoned Myrddin towards him. Myrddin slid under his arms, and put his head on his shoulder. _"I want to go home"_, he said again, starting to cry. _"It's okay Myrddin. I promise to bring you home." _After a few minutes, Myrddin's sobs subsided. _"Feeling better?",_ Artur asked. _"Yes"_, Myrddin responded.

Myrddin slid back out of Artur's arms. One of the slavers came over, carrying a single bedroll and blanket. "This is all we can give you. By the way, my name is Agravaine, and my partner is Cenred." The brothers only knew a little bit of English, but they caught the names of their captors. _"Thank you." _When Agravaine gave him a puzzled look, he said, "Thank you." Agravaine nodded, then left them alone.

They snuggled together, then Myrddin asked, _"Can you sing me a song, the one Mum used to sing."_

_ "Which one?"_

_ "The one with the angels." _Myrddin looked up, and Artur couldn't resist his puppy face. He nodded, then started singing. _"Lay down your head, and I'll sing you a lullaby, back to the years of loo-li lai-lay. And I'll sing you to sleep, and I'll sing you tomorrow, bless you with love for the road that you go. May there always be angels to watch over you, to guide each step of the way. To guard you, and keep you, safe from all harm. Loo-li loo-li lai-lay." _ When Artur looked back down, Myrddin was snuggled up to his shoulder. He smiled, and said, _"I Promise to bring you home Myrddin."_ He laid his head over Myrddin's, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

**A.N. Yay! Chapter 2 is posted:D I'll update when I can, but my life is gonna become really hectic, and them I won't have a laptop(maybe) for at least 18 days. Anyway, the song that I used is called "Sleepsong" by Secret Garden. Hope you're enjoying this story:) Love y'all!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The night passed too quickly for the brothers. Artur woke up first, and Myrddin was still curled up next to him. Artur smiled, and was jsut about to wake him when he felt someone grab his jaw. His eyes widened, and his head started turning. He locked eyes with the other slaver, Cenred. Cenred pried his mouth open, and pulled a bone from his pocket. The bone had bristles attached, and Artur realized it was a toothbrush(**A.N**. **yes, I did research that**). He relaxed, and let Cenred continue.

When he'd finished, Cenred walked over to Myrddin. However, instead of waking him up, he just grabbed Myrddin's jaw. Myrddin's eyes shot open, and he started struggling. _"Myrddin, calm down. He just wants to brush your teeth." _Artue quickly said. Myrddin looked up at him, and at his nod, he loosened his jaw, and let Cenred do it. When Cenred finished, he pulled out a hairbrush. Artur stood up, and said, _"Please, let me do it. My brother will calm down if we can do something familiar."_

By God's goodness, Cenred understood him. He nodded, gave the brush to Artur, and loosened their hands. Stunned, Artur said, _"Thank you."_ Cenred nodded, and walked away. Artur turned back to Myrddin. He gesturned for Myrddin to turn around. After he did so, Artur untied the black leather strap holding in Myrddin's hair. Running the comb through the thick, black locks, Artur whispered comforting words to a frightened Myrddin. Artur retied his brothers hair in a low ponytail, and gave the brush to Myrddin. Myrddin took great care with Artur's hair, treating it like it was gold. Artur knew that Myrddin found comfort in doing familiar tasks. He gently tied the golden locks with a light brown strip of leather.

Myrddin handed the brush back to Artur, who then put it on the ground. He was expecting somone to take it, but there was no one there. He looked around, and saw both Agravaine and Cenred facing the oppposite way, not paying attention to their captives. He also saw that the horses had moved closer to them. Artur got an idea.

He motioned to Myrddin to move closer, and whispered the plan in his ear. _"Do you think it'll work?"_ Myrddin asked. Artur nodded, and quickly untied Myrddin's hands. Myrddin untied Artur, counted to 3, and made a mad dash to the horses.

**A.N. sorry for such a short update. the next chapter will be longer, because this was almost like a filler chapter. again, sorry. love y'all! see you soon:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.: Hey y'all! Sorry this update has taken so long, but college has taken up most of my time. But it should be worth the wait because thus chapter is 907 words long! A new story is in the works, and will be uploaded as soon as I have more than 5 chapters written. All my other stories are being worked on, so they should be updated soon. Till next time, enjoy!**

They didn't make it all the way. Artur made it to Gypsy, and was mounting when he heard a sharp cry. He turned around, and saw the Cenred had grabbed Myrddin by the arm and was twisting it behind his back. Agravaine held a knife to the frightened teen's neck. "Get off the horse or your brother gets it!" he shouted. He then pushed the knife deeper into Myrddin's neck, drawing blood.

Artur didn't understand the words, but he understood the gesture. He dismounted and moved a couple paces away from his horse. Both men let Myrddin go, and he ran straight to his big brother's arms. "_It's okay. I've got you." _Artur said while trying to calm Myrddin down. Cenred appeared a moment later with more rope. He re-tied their hands together and took the leads in his own hand, leading them over to the fire.

A small meal of roasted rabbit and gruel was given to them, along with a water skin. They ate quickly, and were then lead back to the horses. They were then tied back onto the two saddle horns, and left alone for a few minutes. Cenred packed up the camp while Agravaine stayed near the horses, standing guard over the brothers.

After everything was packed up, they had Artur and Myrddin mount their respective horses, and then swung up behind them. They kicked the horses into a fast trot, and continued down the road. They passed few people, and those they did pass didn't spare them a glance. Around noon, they located a stream, and stopped for a rest and a meal. When they had finished watering the horses and eating their lunch, they continued on their way; however, Artur and Myrddin's wrists were now untied.

The group reached a small town at dusk and quickly located an inn. Everyone dismounted, and Agravaine led the horses over to the stable. Cenred stood in front of the boys, and drew closer to speak. "_You will not speak to anyone here except us, and only when first spoken to. Understand?_" The brothers nodded, and Cenred stepped back, facing away from them. Agravaine walked up, untied the ropes, and led the group to the inn's entrance.

Cenred walked over to the inn owner, who was helping another man. When that man was finished, Cenred approached the inn keeper. They conversed for several minutes in Gaelic. Cenred rejoined them, a brass key in his hand. "The room only has two beds, but the boys should be fine on the floor. HE also said that since we're staying in the inn, the meals are included. Why don't you find somewhere to sit while I go get our supplies?"

"Of course. Boys, come." Agravaine led the two boys over to an empty table. Myrddin stayed close to Artur, holding onto his older brother's hand as if someone was going to separate them at any moment. They sat down at the table, and saw Cenred take the packs up to their room. He joined them a couple minutes later. A barmaid came up to them, and asked, "What can I get for you gents?"

"Two tankards of mead, two tankards of water, and four meals if you please." Agravaine answered. The maid nodded, and walked to the kitchen. Within minutes, she returned with their drinks. She placed them on the table, and walked off to assist another patron. Artur hesitatingly reached for both tankards of water, and when nothing happened, he grabbed them and gave the second one to his brother. They eagerly drank, listening to Cenred and Agravaine discussing their plan.

"_What do you think they're talking about?_" Myrddin questioned. Artur listened for a little longer before answering. "_I can only understand something about needing a ship. The only place I can think of that has a harbor and ships is Dublin._"

"_How far away is that?_" Myrddin asked.

"_A couple days ride. Now hush before they notice_." Artur advised. They glanced up at Agravaine and Cenred. Neither were looking at them, and they wanted it to stay that way.

The barmaid returned not long after, carrying their food on a tray. She placed one in front of each of them. Myrddin muttered a quiet thank you in Gaelic without noticing. She perked up, and began asking questions. "_I didn't know you spoke Gaelic, much less spoke at all. Where are you from? Where are you headin'? Is this your family_?" Myrddin was so overwhelmed that he just sat there, unsure of what to do. However, Cenred spoke up for him. "_I'm sorry, he won't be able to answer your questions. You see, the poor thing has had an abusive family, and now won't speak to anyone but his brother. His brother also doesn't speak to anyone_."

"_Oh you poor dears_!" she exclaimed. She rushed off, and brought back two mugs of warm apple cider. "_On the house_" she said, and left with a sad look in her eyes. The boys didn't take the drinks at first, instead waiting for approval. Agravaine nodded his head, and both boys grabbed a mug and downed the warm cider.

After the meal was brought out to them, and promptly eaten, they made their way upstairs. Artur set up the bed rolls for himself and Myrddin. The brothers changed into their sleeping trousers, and settled down. They fell asleep easily, and had a full nights' sleep. No lullaby was needed.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A.N. Hey y'all! I can't believe it's been almost a year since I updated this story. I got so busy with everything else that I didn't have the time I wanted. Hopefully, things will slow down enough so that I can update more frequently. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!**_

Artur started awake the next morning as the rooster crowed his song. For a minute, he thought he was at home. He felt Myrddin stir next to him, and then he noticed they were sleeping on the floor instead of their beds. That, and the sound of an unknown person snoring, brought him back to reality. He knelt beside Myrddin, gently shaking his shoulder until he woke up. Myrddin sat up, blinking and looking confused. When he noticed his surroundings, he let out a small sound of distress.

Artur gathered his younger brother into his arms and rocked him back and forth. He whispered calming words to help quiet him. When Myrddin had calmed down, Artur began whispering a plan. _"There shouldn't be too many people awake. We can slip out and go get the horses." _Myrddin nodded in understanding, and both boys slowly got up and moved towards the door.

Unbeknownst to them, Cenred and Agravaine had thought of this. During the night, they had taken ropes and tied Myrddin and Artur's ankles to the beds. As they moved towards the door, they weren't expecting a sharp tug. They lost their footing, and fell onto their knees.

Agravaine and Cenred were on them in a flash. The ropes around their ankles were tied around their wrists. Agravaine got the supplies together while Cenred led the boys downstairs. They went out the back door to avoid meeting anyone who was awake. Agravaine met them with the horses a few minutes later and they put the boys into the saddles, mounting up behind them. They moved the horses into a trot, then into a canter.

For several miles, they kept the horses moving fast. When Cenred felt the group was far enough from the village, he had the horses slow into a walk. They continued on until they found a brook. Dismounting, Agravaine led the horses to the water while Cenred stood with Artur and Myrddin. He untied their hands so they could eat a meager meal of bread and cheese. They were also given their clothes so they could change out of their sleeping trousers.

When they finished, Cenred handed Artur a waterskin. Drinking quickly so it wouldn't be taken away, he passed it to Myrddin, who also drank quickly. Myrddin gave the skin back to Cenred, and when Agravaine returned with the horses, took it down to the creek to refill it. Agravaine proceeded to retie the ropes around the boy's wrists. Unlike hours before, Agravaine used a long piece of rope instead of a short piece. This confused them, but the reason was revealed not long later.

He led them over to where the horses had been left to graze. He tied the end of Myrddin's rope to Calypso's saddle, and Artur's rope to Gypsy's. Cenred returned from the creek, and tied the waterskins back onto the saddle. He mounted Calypso, and Agravaine mounted Gypsy. They kicked the horses, spurring them into a trot. Artur and Myrddin were jerked forward, and had to briskly jog to keep up with the horses.

After a day of traveling, they reached the port town of Dublin. It had started to rain a couple hours before, so the small party and their horses were soaked to the bone. They hadn't stopped for an evening meal because there was no dry wood to be found. They trotted through town, and came to a stop in front of the Clover Inn **(A.N. I know, how so very cliché)**. A couple stable boys met them by the stable doors. "Take these horses and put them in a large stall." Cenred ordered as he and Agravaine dismounted.

The stable boys looked confused. "What about these two sir?" one inquired, pointing to Artur and Myrddin, still tied to the saddles. "Leave them as they are. Keep them in the same stall as the horses. No extra provisions are required". Agravaine and Cenred took their packs and went into the inn. Following the instructions given to them, the grooms led the horses into a double stall.

Ignoring the brothers, the grooms took the bridles off the horses and put halters on them, tying the lead ropes to rings in the wall. Removing the saddles and blankets, the stable boys put them in the corner furthest from the horses. They left the stall, leaving Artur and Myrddin alone. Artur looked through the remaining pack on his saddle. He found bread and a couple apples. He broke the bread in half, and gave it and an apple to Myrddin. They ate quickly and quietly. Afterwards, they used the saddle blankets to keep warm. They drifted off to sleep.


End file.
